Looking Upon a Woman

The following is a devotional I wrote on Job 30:1 on the subject of eye problems that men often have,   May it be helpful to both sexes.  Some of you will find it very old-fashioned, but in this case the old is better, I assure you. 

God’s servant Job, as he begins his final defense, makes reference to having a covenant with his eyes regarding the opposite sex. Let us think on this subject for a bit.

I think women who have not read up on this subject may be quite mistaken in their thinking - I would like to be a help and here is a good place to try. I heard an excellent presentation by a speaker, Coach Wells, at Brooks Bible Camp. I wish every young person could have heard it. He explained clearly the fact that the male and female of the human species are wired very differently with regard to sexual stimulation. I suppose there maybe exceptions , but basically, the female is stimulated primarily by touch and the male by sight. Touch for the male is the second step in the process. Of course, women who intellectually understand this may use this fact to entrap (Prov.6:25) but I think often they do not really know how serious a problem it can be or what harm can be done by carelessness and inappropriate behavior. Godly mothers may fail to give proper instruction to their daughters simply because they are ignorant of what difficulties this can cause a man who wishes to be pure. Hopefully there are still a few of this variety. Concerned fathers may be helpful but they too are often not up on the subject and for multiple reasons may renege on their responsibilities.

To a healthy male, a pretty girl is like a melody and there is nothing wrong with appreciating beauty even if it is only skin deep sometimes, but it is dangerous territory and Job had it right! Some say look but don’t touch but this doesn’t go far enough. Even the looking must be controlled and men know that imagination can run amuck (II Cor. 10:). Thoughts must be brought to Christ the moment they go beyond what is pure. The Lord said to look with lust is as sinfully wrong as to commit an unlawful sexual act (Matt.5:28).

No real man can watch suggestive scenes on television and not violate this law. Wives need to be good help mates in this area and understand that a man can appreciate the attractiveness of other women without violating his conscience but if he is not careful he can sin against his wife, his God, the woman he looks at and his own soul if he looks with lust. Most men have decency enough to not keep looking beyond a certain point knowing that it would make the object of his attentions uncomfortable and it would be ungentlemanly to do that. With television men can look too long too easily. That plus the nakedness which gives him more to look at makes T.V. especially dangerous and Satan knows it.

All of these are reasons why what Job said is the answer.

I apologize for the extended length of this article, but I have tried to be brief and yet cover the subject. It is an extremely important one. Few men qualify for leadership in the local church because of this problem. Let us pray for one another.